Join Very Shannon’s Summer Sweater Knitalong

I love a good knitalong (though I’m notoriously bad at finishing things for knitalongs), and Very Shannon’s Summer Sweater Knitalong is a good one. It encourages people who’ve never knit garments before to give it a try, and for everyone else it’s a reminder that fall isn’t that far off after all.

This year’s knitalong will run from July 30 through Sept. 24, and all you have to do is sign up and at least start knitting or crocheting a sweater of any style, any size (including for children) during the knitalong period.

You can talk about your project, get or give advice and show off your finished projects in the Ravelry group, get inspiration on the Pinterest board and share your work on social media with the hashtag #sskal14.

At the end of the knitalong some participants will receive lovely prizes from the sponsors, so you’ll want to sign up and play along.

Does this sound like something you’d be interested in? Have you participated in this or other knitalongs before? I’d love to hear about it!

[Photo via Very Shannon/Brooklyn Tweed.]

Next Pattern:

Knitwear designers can get inspiration from almost anything when it comes to re-creating a color scheme, an image or a texture in stitches. Sometimes the inspiration isn’t always obvious in the finished project, but sometimes it’s more literal.

That’s the way it is with the Tin Ceiling Blanket from Purl Soho. Not just because the inspiration is in the name, but if you’ve ever seen one of these old ceilings you can see that the design of the blanket is quite similar to the pattern of the tin tiles.

This is also a good example of the idea that you don’t have to use fancy stitch patterns or lots of color to make a big impact with your knits. This single-color blanket (designed by Gianna Mueller and inspired by a washcloth and towel set designed by Sandi Rosner) is made completely with knits and purls, other than slipped stitches at the beginning of rows to make neater edges.

The pattern is written out row by row, but there’s also a chart, which means this project is a great opportunity to practice reading a chart where you can check your work against the written pattern if you need to.

It comes in two sizes, a crib blanket and a throw. The yarn used in the sample is an organic cotton sold by the cone, which is a great way to get a large quantity of yarn and have fewer ends to weave in. In fact, you can knit either size of the blanket with just one cone of yarn, which isn’t inexpensive but makes you a great, sturdy, heirloom quality but still washable blanket you’ll use for years to come. (Of course you can use any sport weight yarn you like to make this blanket.)

Check out all the details and grab the free pattern from Purl Soho.

[Photo: Purl Soho]

Next Pattern:

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